apace

Apace is an adverb meaning quickly or at a rapid pace. It is used to describe movement, progress, or development conducted with speed. In modern writing, apace is somewhat formal or literary and appears more often in narrative or historical contexts than in everyday speech.

Etymology: The word comes from Middle English apace, from Old French a pace, literally "at pace" or "at speed," with the prefix a- indicating manner or relation to pace. It has been part of English since the late medieval period.

Usage and nuance: Apace is typically used with verbs of motion or progress, as in move apace, progress apace, or grow apace. It can describe both physical movement and non-physical advance, such as developments, events, or plans. Because of its formal or antiquated flavor, it is more common in literary texts, historical writing, or stylistic prose than in casual conversation or contemporary journalism.

Frequency and tone: Today, apace signals a somewhat elevated or old-fashioned tone. Writers may employ it to evoke a particular period or to lend emphasis to speed, but it can feel out of place in plain or direct modern prose.

Synonyms and contrasts: Related terms include quickly, rapidly, swiftly, and hastily. An opposite is slowly. The choice of apace often carries a sense of momentum and inevitability rather than mere speed.

See also: pace, rapidity, speed, tempo.